INGREDIENTS:

320g milk alternative (oat milk, soy milk, rice milk, etc.)
180g neutral oil (canola oil, soybean oil, etc.)
.5g (.1%) xanthan gum (use a drug scale)

PROCEDURE:

Use an immersion blender or Vitamix/blender, and begin blending the milk alternative and neutral oil, slowly incorporating the xanthan gum. You want a vortex-like environment for this step. Allow to blend and hydrate for 60 seconds. The emulsion will begin to thicken, this is normal. Label, date, and reserve. Will keep refrigerated for 7 days.

This technique exists to mimic the properties of heavy [whipping] cream without having to use dairy, making it suitable for those who are lactose intolerant, vegan, or just wishing to be a little more sustainable (and cost effective) behind the bar. Most all dairy milk alternatives lack the fat content of dairy that gives it its mouthfeel and crucial emulsifying properties, and this technique rectifies that.

[Heavy] whipping cream is by definition at least 30 percent fat, with heavy whipping cream being at least 36 percent fat, and by using this technique we recreate that same fat percentage using dairy milk alternatives. Are you adding more than a third of the total volume in fat? Hell yeah you are, but this standard ratio also happens to have roughly 10% less calories than standard heavy [whipping], so go ahead and make that skinny, vegan White Russian, Grasshopper, or White Sicilian you’ve always wanted.

Oh, you wanna’ throw in some egg white substitute to boot? How about using this trick, adding some Versatile, and making a Vegan Ramos Gin Fizz that you didn’t have to use coconut cream in?